Restaurant Owner and Staff Freed in Athens Homeless Death Incident

On March 26, 2025, the owner of a restaurant located in central Athens and two employees were released without any restrictions following their arrest related to the death of a 57-year-old Romanian homeless man. Footage obtained by newsit.gr showed staff members moving the deceased man outside onto the sidewalk. The three men—a manager and two Syrian employees—who were initially arrested for the incident involving the homeless man, were brought before the prosecutor, where they defended themselves and were ultimately deemed non-detainable without even restrictive conditions. All three claimed that the death of the 57-year-old Romanian homeless man was accidental. The incident occurred on March 24 at noon at the intersection of Marni and Kapodistriou streets in central Athens at a restaurant with Syrian cuisine. Reports suggest that the homeless man entered the establishment intending to use the restroom but suffered a fatal injury from a fall. When police arrived, they found him unconscious and bleeding. Initially, the owner and employees stated they found him that way. However, the manager later admitted that the homeless man had indeed entered the premises and slipped on the stairs leading to the restroom, causing him to fall and hit his head. Fearing potential legal issues, they moved the man outside and immediately cleaned the blood from the floor. This action raised suspicions among authorities, leading to the initial arrests for negligent homicide.